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Santiago’s Surprises

We gave the kids an art lesson in Santiago's sculpture garden, one of several well-kept parks in Chile's capital city.

On Day 2 of our short visit to Santiago, Chile, Morgan and I talked about how stupid we felt for having lumped Chile with Argentina and assuming they’d be the same. Our knowledge of Chile was based on college courses in the late 1980s that revealed the brutality of General Pinochet and the CIA’s role in the coup that put him in power from 1973 to 1990. With our minds stuck on “Third World” stereotypes of Latin American dictatorships and human rights abuses, we expected Santiago to be like Buenos Aires, but not necessarily as nice. Clearly, we hadn’t paid attention to news from Chile for the past twenty years.

We discovered a city with a canopy of trees and impeccably landscaped medians lining its major boulevards, walking paths and gardens fronting its river, and a culinary scene more creative and sophisticated than anything we’ve tasted since leaving Northern California. A metropolitan park with a peak called San Cristóbal is full of trails, a zoo and picnic areas, and it looks better maintained than Golden Gate Park. Exquisite old neighborhoods skirt the park with streets mostly free of graffiti, and drivers drive larger, newer cars than in Argentina and stop for pedestrians.

One of the prettiest neighborhood streets we ran on: Pedro de Valdivia near the entrance to Parque Metropolitano de Santiago.

We’re here as an afterthought; our November 30 flight to Auckland leaves from Santiago, so we figured we might as well spend a few days here. We’ve spent the past 72 hours trying to soak up as much as we can of all the city has to offer — which means lots of walking and lots of eating. After two months of a diet heavy on beef and potatoes, we’re gorging ourselves on fresh fruit and seafood — cherries, strawberries and avocados (12 for $1) are at the peak of the season, and crab and lobster are on menus everywhere. Lobster empanadas — now there’s something I can’t get enough of!

A view of some of the countless Andes peaks we saw from the bus ride through the border.

We came here from Mendoza via bus through the Andes, a jaw-dropping route I’ll always remember for two things: the peaks around Aconcagua, and the customs office. Chile’s security apparatus leaves nothing to chance, and at customs they’re on the lookout not only for explosives and contraband, but also for produce that could transport pests that threaten the country’s agriculture. (This morning we met a man from Florida who said he was detained for a couple of hours in Santiago’s airport, during which he had to fill out paperwork and pay a $200 fine because he had an apple in his backpack.)

We were waiting in line at the customs terminal, which straddles the Andes range seemingly in the middle of nowhere, when we noticed some officials looking for the owners of a locked blue backpack that I recognized as Kyle’s. It turns out they were alarmed by a suspicious round object shown in the X-ray. Could it be a bomb — or an orange? I nervously stepped forward, unlocked the pack and winced as they rifled through all of Kyle’s stuff until they pulled out the offending object: his baseball! They ran the baseball through the X-ray one more time before allowing us to proceed.

At long last, following a crazy rush-hour cab drive with our packs roped to the top of the roof, we reached our destination: a well-priced boutique hotel called Meridiano Sur in a great location, just off the very happening scene on Avenida Providencia and near the river and parks.

Colly outside our hotel, next to a bougainvillea in bloom.

The scene on Avenida Providencia, near our hotel.

Our first full day coincided with Thanksgiving, during which we made little effort to maintain holiday traditions except for expressions of gratitude (roast turkey was nowhere to be found or cooked). The warm spring air had us all in short sleeves and shorts. We got a tour of the vibrant Providencia district by walking a few kilometers on clean sidewalks and cobblestone streets, past cafes and well-maintained century-old architecture, to a graduate school of orthodontics where we had set up an appointment for Colly to repair a loose brace.

A stock image from Wikimedia of the skyline in "Sanhattan."

That evening, for our Thanksgiving meal, we chose Nolita restaurant for its well-reviewed seafood and Italian fare. The meal was superb — but the setting was not at all what we expected. The restaurant is located in the booming financial district nicknamed “Sanhattan” because of its gleaming new skyscrapers and malls decked out with costly landscaping and chrome. American restaurant franchises and American companies have mushroomed there, which left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt as though we were in some of the most upscale parts of West LA — not that I dislike West LA; it’s just not what I wanted to experience in South America. It’s also unpleasant to contemplate how this economic boom got its start in the darkest periods of the country’s modern history, when Pinochet forced privatization and other free-market reforms (while also overseeing censorship, torture and the disappearance of thousands). It’s interesting to see the city spangled with hundreds of political posters plastered everywhere with faces of different candidates all promising “el cambio” (change) — and to think that any type of political advertising was banned until 1988, when Chile began its transition back to democracy.

Morgan snapped this shot of me during our run to the top of San Cristobal, where the Virgin Mary statue watches over Santiago.

Throughout this century of change in Chile, the Virgin Mary herself has kept watch over Santiago in the form of a giant statue on the summit of San Cristóbal. It was erected in 1908, about ten years before the gorgeous park was established and all the vegetation was planted around it. Shortly thereafter, a tramway called the Funicular was built to transport visitors up the steep hill.

The Funicular still runs daily and is a must-do for any visitor. We took it to the top, and the kids kept exclaiming, “This is fun!” and each time they said “fun,” we automatically replied, “-icular!” From the tram’s upper station it’s 207 steps (yes, we counted) to the base of the statue, where you can see the city spread out and the Andes as the backdrop. It was so pretty — but again, a bit much like LA. A smoggy haze obscured the view, and the sprawl in the outlying valley had an uncanny resemblance to Glendale and Burbank.

The 1925 tram to the top of the park is called the Funicular. It is fun! (-icular!)

We shouldn’t pass any strong judgments on this city, though, because we barely got to know it. Like the Chilean version of Spanish that my ear can barely decipher — a rapid mumbling full of unfamiliar vocabulary — I’m just starting to figure it out, and now it’s time to go.

Santiago looking down from the peak of San Cristobal.

Another shot from our time in the sculpture garden.

Our non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner started with a platter of raw shellfish, followed by taking turns saying thanks. We are immensely grateful for this experience, and for our family, friends and health.

5 Comments

I’ll be presumptuous and post a long comment here out of the hope that at least family readers (but probably not others) will find the account of our own Thanksgiving interesting.

But first, WOW—Santiago looks absolutely lovely! I, too, clearly have had misconceptions of Chile (based not on college, but on Naomi Klein’s excellent book “The Shock Doctrine”). Glad you guys have managed to get a taste of it (it’s going to be interesting to hear—months hence—which places you’re hoping to return to someday).

Speaking of return, we just pulled in from yet another quick trip to San Francisco (quick meaning four long days of driving for our own ‘taste’ of urban life). It was so odd to pull into Berkeley (we met Siobhan up at the Rockridge station) and not swing up to see you guys. Instead, we headed off to lower Haight and spend two-and-a-half days getting a delightful sense of Siobhan and Miguel’s current life. What fun! Highlights included a long walk down through the Mission (where we got to see Miguel’s school and classroom), a gorgeous lunch at a nearby park (we gorged on vegan sandwiches from what is reputed to be the ‘best’ sandwich shop in the city—and likely is). The day was spectacular—warm, blue skies and, from our picnic table vista—fabulous views of the city on all sides. Had a great tofurkey dinner in S & M’s (I know—that doesn’t sound so good) lovely apartment. It’s small, but wonderfully well-appointed and decorated. I think Siobhan enjoyed hosting her first Thanksgiving. We met some of their friends—very nice and international (one grew up an ex-pat in Indonesia, another was from Costa Rica). On Friday, Siobhan, Karen and I (Miguel had to get caught up on work—something I should have spent some time doing) walked down to the Bart Station in the Castro (it’s about a 12 minute bike ride for her each morning, but about a half hour walk) and caught a train downtown to the shopping district on Market (near Yerba Buena and the Metreon). Place was packed for Black Friday (Karen likened it to the most congested areas she’d encountered in Tokyo), but super fun to be jostled along by the masses. Couldn’t walk three abreast, so often I’d drop behind and watch as heads turned to check my daughter out (she’s stunning as always, but a more urban version—replete with the high heeled boots—you could almost hear people thinking ‘Is that a famous model?). Then, after a lot more shopping (Miguel showed up later, and he and I took in a movie—a hilariously terrible disaster flick which was lots of fun), Siobhan had Karen decked out in new pants, a stylish coat and a pair of boots of her own—what a duo! Also managed to get in a few rounds of Oh Hell—a sort of passing of the torch (not that our torch isn’t still burning bright, mom and dad!)—cribbage and some backgammon. All in all, a terrific visit, totally worth the drive (which was even longer on the way back as it was dumping in Tahoe and nobody seemed to know how to drive on the sort of snow that is pretty much the norm here in Telluride during the winter).

Anyway, I’ve probably bored enough readers out there, so I’ll end here (need to get prepped for tomorrow’s classes). Can’t believe that tomorrow will see you winging your way to New Zealand. Have fun! Keep posting. We love sharing your travels vicariously!

Much love,

David & Karen

Martha Howard,
November 30, 2009:

Wow! Two family “catch ups” at one stop!! SMC&K – I love your non-traditional Thanksgiving. Looks like you had a great 72 hours. That smog is pretty gross, though. T&K, your holiday sounds great. I’m so happy Siobhan is doing so well (we STILL have yet to meet Miguel – can’t wait). I remember our Black Friday all around union square when Merritt was about 5 moths old. Trying to push a stroller through that…well, it was crazy to say the least. Our Thanksgiving was sad and lonely. Two teenagers at the table rolling their eyes at my attempts for warm and fuzzy family time. Not too successful. Sarah and gang, continue to have safe and happy travels. We love you and miss you!

Santiago looks gorgeous!..but I have to say, your brother was spot on, our weather in SF was fantastic over the holiday weekend. It even got up to 68 one night ..which as you know..is pretty unheard of for this time of year.

I have a feeling that 72 hours was probably the perfect amount of time to spend in a town that modern. It can be distressing to stumble upon American chains when you are abroad (though the Starbucks we found in Tokyo was a godsend) but it looks like you guys found great local spots and really made the most of the short time you had there. Totally fun! Safe travel to New Zealand

..and David…if you are talking about Ike’s place…yes…it is indeed the best sandwich shop in the city Love
Cheryl

Come back to Chile again and experience some of the more traditional areas of the city. It offers a lot more than modernity although we are proud of that. Being smaller and less well known, we suffer from comparisons with Buenos Aires. As you saw, the two cities are totally different. In the winter you can ski an hour and a half from Santiago and the beach is the same distance away in summer. Aside from Santiago, you can visit the driest desert in the world in the north or walk on glaciers in the far south. So, come back soon!

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We left our home in Piedmont, California, to spend a school year seeing the world and learning as we go. (More about us …)